


Nightmares

by Lil_Red_Reaper



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, post volume 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 19:26:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14479542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Red_Reaper/pseuds/Lil_Red_Reaper
Summary: Since it’s still 9 Days of Lancaster I decided to write a little one shot for it. It’s in Ruby’s perspective and focuses on her guilt and trauma involving what happened to Pyrrha as well as her feelings about everything going on.





	Nightmares

It’s dark...  
I can’t see anything but black.  
Where am I?  
It’s like I’m standing in a void, no sense of what direction is what. 

Finally, something starts to change. I can see a bright orange light forming in front of me. I stare in awe and curiosity until I can finally make something out. 

It’s Pyrrha..and Cinder. 

They’re in the same position they were back at Beacon. Pyrrha on her knees and Cinder aiming an arrow at her chest. 

I try to move, I try to yell out, but I’m frozen in place. I can’t do anything but watch the horrible scene play out. The arrow pierces Pyrrha’s chest and she starts gasping...and then she looks at me..

“R..Ruby...why...d..didn’t you..help me..I....tho..thought we...were fr..friends..” Pyrrha chokes out. 

I try again to say something, do something, ANYTHING, but I’m still frozen. I can feel my eyes welling with tears. 

Cinder touches Pyrrha’s head and she turns to ashes before drifting away. 

My vision fills with a white light and I finally am able to let out a scream before falling to my knees. The sound of footsteps approaching causes me to look up. 

It’s Cinder but she looks like how she did at Haven. Eye patch and all. 

Anger fills me but before I can even stand back up she’s kicked me down. 

“Pathetic. You’re supposed to be this powerful warrior but you’re just a little girl who couldn’t even save her friends.” She taunts with a smug smirk on her face. 

Pain forms in my chest from those words as I think of both Pyrrha and Penny. I go to get up again. “Sh-Shut up! I won’t let anyone else get hurt!” 

Cinder kicks me down again and holds me down with her foot. 

“There’s nothing you can do. You’re useless. All your little friends will face Salem and DIE while you watch. Just like how you watched Penny and Pyrrha die.” I feel her heel digging into my back. “Speaking of your friends, I can guarantee you they secretly hate you for letting their teammate die. Especially that blonde one..what’s his name again? Jaune?”

No. That isn’t true. They don’t hold any grudge against me. We formed a team and travelled together. They don’t hate me. Jaune doesn’t hate me..right?

“Don’t believe me? Then ask them yourself.” 

I look up and see the three of them standing in front of me. Ren, Nora..Jaune. 

“How could you just watch her die?! You didn’t even try to help her!” Jaune shouts while he, Ren and Nora stare at me with hateful looks that burn into me. 

“I-I’m sorry! There wasn’t anything I could..I was too la-“ I’m cut off from him yelling again. 

“I’ll never forgive you, Ruby!”

I start to cry as the words sink in. It’s my fault...I can’t protect anyone...

Suddenly something changes. I’m no longer being held down. I get up to see everyone I care about standing around me in a circle. My family, my friends...all of them glaring at me. 

Before I can even say anything, something comes out of the darkness surrounding us so quickly that I can’t make it out, grabs Dad, Uncle Qrow and Yang and drags them away. 

I’m filled with dread and I try to run after them but I’m stuck again. 

Why can’t I move?! Why can’t I do anything?!

I watch in horror as it happens again and again, something grabbing my friends and dragging them off until everyone is gone. 

A distorted, terrifying laugh suddenly rings out all around me. I look in every direction to see where it’s coming from but there’s nothing to be seen. 

That is until someone who I make out to be Salem steps out and lunges at me with another horrifying shriek. 

I scream loudly but find myself staring up at a ceiling. I’m confused and still full of adrenaline from everything I just witnessed but I finally realize I was just dreaming. 

Looking over to my right I see my sister, Weiss, Blake and Nora sound asleep on the beds in our shared room. 

That’s right. We’re still in our rented house in Mistral, spending one last night before heading out on our trip across Solitas to Atlas. I’m thankful that I didn’t actually scream out loud and wake anyone up. I don’t want to burden them with my problems, I’m supposed to be the optimistic one to keep everybody’s spirits up..

I need to get something to drink to cool my head a bit so I get out of bed as quietly as I can and tip toe to the door. 

Managing to successfully sneak out of the room I make my way to the kitchen, flip on a light switch so I can see where I’m going and get a glass of water. 

For some reason after I finish my drink I decide to go out onto the balcony that overlooks the city. Leaning against the railing I take in all the sights. The mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, and the buildings perched up on them. Mistral is really cool looking and this could be my last time seeing it..

Images of the horrible things that happened the other night at Haven flood my mind. Jaune and Weiss almost dying from Cinder...and then there was that horrible thing that Emerald created...that was supposedly Salem. 

Can we really defeat someone so terrifying? 

I then start thinking about the dream I had and I can feel my hand grip the railing tightly. I couldn’t save them..what if I can’t save anyone? Sure my silver eyes managed to stop Cinder for a second so Jaune didn’t get hurt but I don’t even know how to control them! I was knocked out and Weiss got hurt! She’s alive because Jaune thankfully found his semblance...

Jaune...

“How could you just watch her die?! You didn’t even try to help her! I’ll never forgive you, Ruby!”

The words from the dream hit me like a brick and I can feel my eyes tearing up. 

“Ruby?” 

A voice from behind me snaps me back into reality. Jaune’s voice. How did he know I was out here?

“Is everything alright? I came out for a drink and saw you out here.” 

Well that answers that. 

I’m too shaken to even turn around to face him but I know it’ll look bad if I don’t say something. 

“Y-Yeah, I’m f-fine. Just had a...strange dr-dream.” I say and mentally facepalm at myself for stuttering. Hopefully he won’t notice.

Unfortunately, the sound of footsteps approaching me tells me that he totally did notice. I still can’t bring myself to face him after everything that happened in my dream so I focus my eyes on the scenery. 

“Ruby, I know I can be dense at times but I can tell there’s something wrong. You can talk to me.” 

Like the waterfall, tears start cascading down onto my cheeks. I can’t hold it in no matter how hard I try. The dream keeps repeating itself over and over in my head. 

“I-I’m s-sorry..” I choke out between sobs. I feel hands rest on my shoulders but I still can’t bring myself to look at him. 

“What? Ruby, What’s wrong?” I hear Jaune ask with both concern and confusion in his voice.

“I-I’m s-so so sorry.” I repeat while shaking my head, unable to come up with anything else to say. 

Suddenly my head is lifted up by my chin and I’m met with his azure eyes staring at me. 

“What are you apologizing for?” 

“...” Like a dam breaking, I crack and my feelings start to pour out of me.  
“P-Pyrrha...It’s m-my fault..I w-wasn’t fast enough...I didn’t s-save her.” 

I look away again, too nervous and scared to see his expression. “I sh-should’ve been faster..I should’ve...I understand if..you actually h-hate me..” My mind flashes back to the part in the dream where he said he could never forgive me. 

Without warning I’m pulled into a tight embrace, the surprise and shock enough for me to stop crying momentarily. 

“J-Jaune?” I choke out before I feel his grip on me tighten slightly. 

“Don’t you ever say that it was your fault.” 

I’m brought to silence from how stern yet gentle his tone is. I hadn’t expected that to be his reaction at all. 

My eyes well up with tears again and I return the hug, sobbing into his chest. 

“Shhh...it’s okay..” Jaune starts. “I could never hate you.” 

“B-But...I saw it all happen again...y-you were there and y-you sai-“ I start recounting the dream yet again but I’m cut off by him speaking. 

“Whatever you saw or heard..it was just a nightmare. It’s alright now, Ruby. I’m here for you.” 

His kind words just bring me to more tears. He really doesn’t hate me...I’m so relieved. If it had turned out to be true I don’t know what I’d do..it would make moving forward so much harder. 

“Come on, let’s get you back inside.” Jaune says but I shake my head and cling to him tighter. 

It’s kinda silly but I don’t want to let go yet...I just want to stay in this hug for a while longer...

Jaune seems to comply since he doesn’t let go and we’re both quiet as we just stand there embracing. For some reason the long silence isn’t awkward..it’s comforting. It’s like he doesn’t need to say anything else because I can feel him here with me..

At least ten minutes have passed when I feel him loosen the hug. Before I can say anything I’m being lifted up into a bridal carry. 

“H-Huh?” I stutter and feel my cheeks heat up slightly. 

Why is he carrying me? 

Jaune looks down at me with a warm smile that for some reason makes my heart flutter as he starts to walk us back inside the house. “We can’t stay out there forever, we’ll get cold. Besides, you need your sleep.”

“I-I’m scared to go back to sleep..” I mutter as I look down. I don’t want to relive that nightmare. 

He sets me back down on my feet once we’re inside. “Hm...would it make you feel better if I stay with you until you fall asleep?” 

I feel my face heat up slightly again. “I uh, I don’t know. Maybe?” I reply but then think of what could happen if Yang or any of the others catch him in there. “B-But you can’t come into our room..we might wake them up.” 

“Oh, right. Uh..” Jaune looks over at the couch in the living room section of the room. “How about the couch?” 

I shrug my shoulders and walk over to it. This couldn’t hurt, right? I do need my sleep. 

I lay down on my side on the soft couch, pulling the throw blanket off the top and onto myself while Jaune takes a seat on the chair across from me. “I’ll be right here if you need me. Goodnight, Ruby.”

“Um a-alright, goodnight.” I say as I shut my eyes and try to fall asleep. 

It takes a while but I finally start to drift back off into a slumber. Things seem fine and I think I’ll actually be able to have a good sleep...until images of Penny, Pyrrha and then the rest of my family and friends flash before me. All of them having one thing in common...they’re all dead...

Pale skin, bloody gashes on various parts on their body, eyes void of life...it’s so terrifying that I have to scream but the images just keep flashing. 

“NO! Make it stop! Stop!” I shout and suddenly feel something rest on my shoulders, causing me to freak out more. 

“..Ruby...Ruby!” 

The voice snaps me back to reality. I’m awake again, sitting up on the couch while shaking and tears pour down my face. Jaune’s concerned face materializes in my view and I realize he’s the one hanging on to my shoulders.

“Ruby, look at me.” Jaune says softly. “...Was it another nightmare?” 

I manage to look him in the eyes but can’t get myself to say anything so I just nod as tears keep sliding down my face.

The look of concern on Jaune’s face grows and suddenly I feel him lifting me up and sliding his way onto the couch. 

I start to blush when I realize that he’s now cradling me in his arms as I lay on top of him. 

“W-What are you doing?” I stutter out as I look at him. 

Jaune gives me a warm smile like how he had done when he carried me inside. “I thought maybe this would help calm you down..since you’ll be able to feel that I’m here with you.” 

Despite the fact that he wants to calm me, my face just heats up more and I can feel my heartbeat spike slightly. It’s a weird feeling...but it’s not bad either. It’s definitely way better than what I was feeling just a few minutes ago. 

“Th-Thanks.” I say as I slowly lay my head down against his chest. He’s actually pretty comfy..and warm..

“It’s no problem, now try and get some sleep.” Jaune answers. 

I nod in response and try to calm myself down since I’m still a bit worked up from the nightmare. 

As I lay there trying to sleep I start to feel him stroking my hair softly. It makes my cheeks heat up more but it’s also really comforting...very comforting...I feel safe in this moment, cradled in his arms. 

Sleep finally takes me after a few more minutes. I have no more nightmares that night, instead my dreams feature the dorky blond knight who’s always been there for me.


End file.
